Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I ask the Congress to consider the enclosed request for the
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The request is
needed to liquidate legitimate prior-year obligations for eligible
participants in the AmeriCorps program, to complete the implementation
of a comprehensive corrective action plan developed by CNCS to
strengthen financial management, and to provide flexibility to support
more than 50,000 AmeriCorps members in FY 2003. This request will not
increase my FY 2004 request.

The details of this request are set forth in the enclosed letter
from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. I concur
with his comments and observations.